Water-conducting pipe or the like.



UNITED STATES Patented November 8, 1904.

PATENT GEETCE,

PHILIP E. FISHER, OF 'SPOKANILI WASHINGTON.

WATER-CONDUCTING PIPE OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 774,384, dated November A8, 1904.

Application filed December 22, 1903. Serial No. 186,153. (No model.)

To @ZZ zul/bont it nur/y con/cern.-

Be it knownthat I, PHILIP E. FISHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washing'ton, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inWVater-Conducting Pipes or the Like; and I do hereby declare the'following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable, others skilled in the art to`v which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improved pipes, barrels, tanks, and other cylindricall or approximately cylindrical conduits and containers for liquids possessing` a number of advantages over existing devices of like character, among which advantages may be mentioned the following: increased strength and rigidity, enabling greater tension to be put upon the wire, hoops, or bands employed to bind the i structure; increased strength to resist internal pressure by reason of the peculiar form of joint between the staves, which tends to force the abutting edges of the latter together instead of apart, as in existing' structures; non-liability to leakage owing to the aforesaid tendency of the internal pressure `to close the structure at the joints, and, further, owing' to an increase in the length of travel of the liquid from the interior to the exterior of the conduit or container at the joints and the obstructions to such travel provided thereat, smoothness of internal and external surfaces, facility of manufacture, and facility of assemblage.

The details of construction of the improved stave are fully and clearly set forth in the following description, in connection with which reference is to be had tothe accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of a conduit or pipe embodying my invention. Fig. Q is a cross-sectional view of the same.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A

denotes a pipe constructed of, preferably,

wooden staves and adapted for conducting wadius of approximately forty-live degrees, a,v

beveled surface c3, extending in the same direction as and parallel with the beveled surface c', and a radial surface c4 in alinement with the radial surface c. The edge thus presents a radial surface broken by an A-shaped tongue and a V--g'roove adjoining the tongue, the height of the tongue corresponding with the depth of the groove. The other edge, 7X, ofthe stave is similarly provided with radial surfaces and a tongue and groove, with the difference that the locations of the tongue and groove relative to the locations of the similar devices at the other edge, are reversed, whereby the meeting edges of two adjoining staves interengage, as shown in Fig. 2.

The staves may be assembled in the ditch or the pipe-sections may be built up before being laid. Ineither event the pipe will appear cross-sectionally as in Fig. 2, although obviously the number of staves will vary, dependent upon the diameter of the completed pipe or other conditions. Wire D or vits equivalent coiled around the outer side of the pipe serves to tightly bind the staves together to hold them in placeand to resist internal pressure. The peculiar form of the interlocking edges of the staves in addition to providing smooth internal and external surfaces serves to strengthen the structure and permit of heavy tension being put on the bindingwire. When internal pressure is brought to bear, the beveled surfaces at the edges press tightly against the corresponding edges of the adjoining staves, the pressure between said surfaces increasing with the water-pressure, consequently reducing the liability of leakage to the minimum. The tendency to leakagel is further overcome by providing the tortuous passage for the water at the joints, the pres- IOO ence of the obstructions tending to prevent water from entering farther than to the lirst beveled surface. Internal pressure being resisted by the wire coils or bands, the action of said pressure is to force the tongues tightly i into their respective grooves, thereby rendering the structure not only water-tight but rigid, the degree of rigidity and pressure between the beveled surfaces increasing with the increase of the internal pressure.

The peculiar form given to the stave edges enables the staves to be readily cut without liability to chipping off, as the knives have a side or shearing' cut as distinguished from the straight end cut employed in making certain existing' types of staves. Moreover, by the present construction the interlocking of the staves facilitates their assemblage to form the pipe.

I claim as my invention# A water-conducting pipe or the like composed of like interchangeable staves each having one of its edges provided with inner and outer alined radial straight surfaces and between said surfaces with an A-tongue and V- groove extending equidistantly in opposite directions from the line of said radial surfaces, the walls of said tongue and groove be ing straight throughout and one wall of the tongue being a continuation of and alined with one wall of the groove thereby providing a relatively large surface at an angle to the radius, and having the other of its edges provided with like radial surfaces and a like tongue and groove reversely disposed relative to the aforesaid tongue and groove and providing a like inclined surface between the radial surfaces, and exterior bands on said pipe or the like.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP E. FISHER.

Witnesses:

R. B. GLASS, C. W. STINsoN 

